ANIMAL KINGDOM

'Mystery' horse impregnates mares in Kentucky

'Whoever did that didn't measure the consequences'

Published: 04/27/2013 at 12:31 AM

(Lexington Herald-Leader) As bettors and the general public study equine bloodlines to prep for their possible Kentucky Derby wagers, Bourbon County horse owner Marilyn Montavon is trying to solve a mystery that could cost her thousands of dollars.

On April 15, tax-filing deadline day, two new dependents showed up on her farm in the form of two foals — a colt born to the mare Goldie and a filly born to Mert.

The babies were a surprise to Montavon because she has no studs on her farm, and she hadn’t bred the horses.

Then she noticed another newcomer making use of her pasture: a 3-year-old stud horse that she had not seen before. He’d apparently been busy, because at least five other mares were pregnant.